


As I am Born Again

by rubyisms



Series: Won't You Spare Me Over 'Til Another Year? [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Horror, M/M, Mad Science
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-10-14 04:02:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10528560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubyisms/pseuds/rubyisms
Summary: Before he was Dr. James Ironwood's assistant, he was a normal man.Before he was willing to die for the doctor, he was a stranger.Before the experiment, he was just Qrow.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Soo.. this is pretty much the prequel fic to O Death that no one asked for, but I wanted to do anyway. Basically, it's the story of how Qrow came to be James' assistant and his right hand man.
> 
> Trigger warnings for: mentions of death, murder, abuse.

They’re dead. At least, Qrow thinks they are. It’s mostly because the noises stopped. Summer’s not sputtering and gasping, choking on her own spit anymore. Taiyang isn’t screaming and writhing in pain anymore. And Raven… his twin, his sister, the quiet and stoic one of the two had screamed out in pain once, before she, too, fell silent.

He could open his eyes, he could look and see if they were still there. He could…  but his eyes were heavy and his head was hurting. Qrow hears footsteps and he lets out a soft groan, the noise far too loud to handle. 

“Hmph. Dead.” The voice grumbles out and Qrow lifts his head ever so slightly at the noise. He  _ knows _ that voice, how does he know that voice-

“Oh? What’s this?” And the footsteps come towards him and he’s slowly opening his eyes. Through the blur, he sees a man with neatly combed hairstyle, grays beginning to show in his black hair. The man is wearing a white lab coat and Qrow growls ever so slightly. He knows this man.

“I.. I can’t believe it. It worked!” He sounds excited and Qrow’s managing to choke out a couple of words from his dry and parched throat before he’s slipping back into unconsciousness. 

“Fuck you.”

* * *

 

When Qrow wakes up again, there is no longer the hard, cold surface of the floor beneath him. He is warm, body sinking into what he can identify as a mattress. There’s two quilts on top of him, one is blue and thin, but the other is red and thicker. He can make out that the red one has a worn out corner through his blurred vision. Everything still feels heavy, and everything still hurts, but he finds the strength to push himself up onto his elbows.

“Careful.” There’s a suddenly a hand on the back of his hand, and a second pillow joining the one he had been sleeping on. “Take it easy. You’ve been asleep for a while.”

When the blur clears and he can make everything out again, he recognizes the man at last. Doctor James Ironwood, the new man in town. Everyone had trusted him, everyone had thought he was a good man who performed miracles, so when he approached Qrow with an offer of trying out a new, experimental medicine, he had trusted the doctor not to kill him and his friends.

Now, he was feeling like someone had run him over with their carriage and he had no idea what happened to his friends. “Where are they?” He croaks out at last, as James presses a warm, wet cloth to his forehead.

“... I suppose there’s no point in lying now.” James sighs out after a moment, dabbing at the beads of sweat on Qrow’s forehead. “I’m afraid your friends didn’t survive the experiment. You’re the only one.” The words makes Qrow growl, the sound weak and pathetic from his throat not being used - or maybe he had been screaming so much from the pain, he just wore it out.

He doesn’t like to think about that.

“Now that you’re awake, we should see about getting you some food and water.” And he’s standing up as if nothing happened and Qrow’s growling, pushing himself back up much too quickly, and the world spins for a moment.   
  
“Wait a fucking minute!” He hisses, eyes shutting tightly. “What.. What the hell did you even  _ do _ to us? That wasn’t medicine, that was-”   
  
“Mercury.” James interrupts. “It was mercury.” He sighs and stops, turning back to Qrow. “Mercury is… complicated. It’s used in other medicines, diluted by other chemicals and elements, and can even be found in the food we eat.” He explains and Qrow’s head spins. “In small doses, it’s okay. But in large doses-”   
  
“Hold on, you fucking  _ poisoned  _ me?!” Qrow’s voice goes above a whisper as he raises it in anger. Suddenly, it made sense now. Why his friends died, why he felt, and still feels, like shit. This doctor, who the community saw as a saint, was a monster who injected them with poison and the thought made Qrow sick to his stomach.    
  
“I was just curious to see how much mercury the human body can take before they die completely.” James explains, voice cool and calm. “As a doctor, I prescribe these mercury medications to patients that may need them, and I was simply curious how much of a dosage they could have before their life was… snuffed out.”

“So, what? You injected me and my friends with straight up mercury? There’s a reason it gets diluted, doctor.” Qrow hisses out, eyes narrowing. God, his head hurt, everything hurt, and the lone candle lit in the room was far too bright for him.

“Yes, actually. Different dosages for each of you. Summer received the smallest, which is why I was shocked when I found her dead. I truly thought she would’ve survived.” He tsks, shaking his head.

“Her immune system was weak, you sick bastard-!” A hand comes up and smacks Qrow across the cheek. The action leaves him stunned, eyes widened, and he’s watching as James adjusts his glove on his right hand. The stinging has already dulled down by the time the tears start falling.  _ Stop that. _ He tells himself.  _ Don’t let him see you cry. _

“That’s enough.” He grumbles out and stares down at Qrow, his hands clasped behind his back. “... You’re lucky I even kept you alive. I could’ve killed you and buried you with the rest of your friends.” The way he says it sends shivers down his spine in a bad way, and those tears start to fall hard and faster. “I’ll be sending someone up shortly with tea and breakfast. You’ll need to regain your strength.”

And then James is walking out of the bedroom door, closing it behind him. From the outside, Qrow can hear a “click” as James locks him in, horror dawning on him as he realizes he’s a prisoner. And Qrow finally breaks down and sobs, crying for his friends, crying for himself and the situation he was in.

That’s all he could do.

* * *

 

His food is brought to him by a teenager who looks like he could be related to James, and he was, as Qrow finds out through small talk. The kid is no older than fourteen at most, and he’s James’ younger brother, the two of them separated in age by twenty years. Qrow gets his name, Alec, and one of the things he notices much is that Alec doesn’t talk much for a kid.

“So.. You know of your brother’s experiments, huh?” Qrow takes a sip from the teacup Alec offers him, shivering as the liquid warms his throat and his body, the added honey adding a soothing sensation to his throat. Alec looks uncomfortable and quickly glances away before he’s taking a deep breath.   
  
“I.. I do know, what my brother does.” His hands tremble slightly as he offers Qrow a chocolate croissant and Qrow’s hesitating before taking it. “You have to understand, he’s just a very curious man. The human body has always fascinated him, and he’s just.. Curious.”

Qrow’s quiet as he bites into the pastry, and he exhales. It sounds like Alec’s hiding something, or at the very least, he’s trying to defend his brother’s actions. “I take it you love your brother.” He says simply and Alec’s eyes brighten. They were blue, much like James’, but they still had a touch of childhood innocence in them. Oh, how Qrow envied him.

“I do! He’s the only family I have left, and… He’s a really good man. He does bad things, but he would never, ever hurt me.” Alec swallows and looks at Qrow, picking up a second teacup, his own. “Please, understand that. My brother isn’t a bad man. He just… does some bad things, and don’t we all? We’re only human.”

“Yeah, but Alec.. Your brother caused the death of three people. Humans make mistakes. Monsters kill.” Qrow says and Alec’s slamming the teacup he’s holding down, the hot liquid splashing everywhere. The boy hisses as some of it lands on his hand and those blue eyes are glaring up at Qrow.

“You don’t know him like I do!” He snaps and his hands are trembling again. “You don’t know what we’ve been through, you don’t know what he’s done for me!” And then the boy blinks, as he focuses on the look of shock on Qrow’s face. “...I’m sorry.”   
  
Alec’s running before Qrow can talk to him, leaving the silver tray behind. Qrow just sighs, shaking his head softly, helping himself to the meal brought to him.

Even if James killed his friends, even if he was being held against his will and logic was screaming at him to not eat the food or drink the tea brought to him, his hunger and thirst won. And for a murderer, Qrow had to admit.

James was a good cook.

* * *

 

His hands are shaking and his head is twitching to the left when James checks in on him again. He is carrying a book and closes the door behind them and Qrow swallows hard as James takes a seat in the chair next to him. He can feel blue eyes look him up and down and he closes his eyes tightly, sinking further into the mattress and the pillows.

“Qrow.” James finally says after a moment, and there’s a hand on his cheek again. It’s the same one James slapped Qrow with, and he’s touching the same spot. He wants to whimper and crawl away from him, but he can’t. “Are you alright?”

“Let me go.” Qrow whimpers out and he doesn’t have to open his eyes to see James’ frown. He can feel it in the way the cool fingers stroke his cheek. Despite himself, Qrow leans into his touch. He was feverish and it was welcome.

“Oh, my dear Qrow…” James says and Qrow flinches at the affectionate tone of his voice.  _ I’m not yours. I will never be yours. _ He tells himself. “You know I can’t let you go.” When James’ retracts the metal hand from his feverish cheek, Qrow can’t help but whine, inwardly cursing at the noise he makes.

“Why not?” He’s trying not to sound desperate, but from the look on James’ face, he fails. “Why can’t you let me go? Why is it so important that you keep me locked up here, in this bedroom, like I’m a prisoner?”

“They’d ask questions. What happened to you, what happened to your friends…” James growls quietly, turning his back to Qrow as he moves away from the bed. “It’s a risk I can’t take. They wouldn’t understand. You don’t.”

Qrow inhales and stares at James’ back for an uncomfortably long time. There was only one way he could get out of this situation, out of this hell, and out of this prison. The thought sickens him, especially as he thinks of his sister and friends, dead in a grave somewhere. But they would understand he’s trying to survive.

“Then help me understand.” He finally says at last, watching as James slowly turns around. “Help me understand why you do these experiments, why you’re so secretive about what you really do, doctor.”

And James hesitates for a moment before he stretches his gloved hand out to Qrow for him to take. He gets the idea and wraps a trembling hand around the cool, gloved hand and swallows hard.

There was no going back now.

* * *

 

James explains his experiments to him on that cold winter day when Qrow finally gave up his life to the man who almost killed him. It was for the greater good, to find out what the human body could take, what it could not. 

“And most of all… I want to give people the life they deserve. Whether it’s living on this earth, happy and carefree… Or reborn into a newer and happier world.” James explains to him, “I want to give everyone the life they deserve. I want to help people, I want to spread my good work with the world.”

He believes him. And so, Qrow begins forgetting the reason why he even placed himself by this man’s side. He forgets it was to survive, to escape someday and tell the world what had happened. When James’ lips brush his forehead or when their fingers touch for a moment too long, Qrow forgets that he’s trying to survive. 

“Qrow, I need an assistant. Someone to help me bury the bodies, someone to help spread my work.” James says to him one day, and Qrow stares at him, unsure what he was asking. “I’m asking you to be that for me.”   
  
And Qrow’s grinning, nodding without a second thought as he takes James’ hand. They become partners from then on, both in business, in the bed, and in their darker activities. He loves every second of it.

He stands by James’ side loyally as he watches him murder in front him. Some days he even joins in. When their victims lay dying and gasping for breath, Qrow and James assure them they would be safe and happy soon. When they are burying the body of their most recent victim, James wipes sweat from his forehead before looking at Qrow, covered in dirt, sweat, and blood.   
  
“I think it’s time we move. All three of us. Mistral is getting… boring.” He comments and Qrow’s nodding, shoving the spade into the fresh mound of dirt.

“Of course. You know I’d follow you anywhere. You have given me everything.” His hands twitch and his eyes have never been such a bright shade of red. When James chuckles and kisses him, he can’t help but sigh against his lips and returns the gesture.

“I knew you’d say that.” The doctor chuckles and takes Qrow’s hand in his as they walk back up to the house, “Pack your bags. We leave for Vale tomorrow.”

Vale... Another place to spread their work and gifts with the people of the world. He’s excited to move on to greener pastures, to new horizons at the good doctor’s side as his assistant. Doctor James Ironwood and his assistant, Qrow Branwen. 

That had a nice ring to it.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are love!


End file.
